


Protected

by mmorgan317



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Bad Things Happen Bingo, Malcolm Whump, Prompt: Black Eye
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2021-01-02 17:56:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21165752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mmorgan317/pseuds/mmorgan317
Summary: Tensions have been building between Malcolm and a few within the precinct. When Dani notices something amiss, she goes to investigate, happily slapping down any who dared mess with a member of her team. Protective Dani. Papa Gil. Malcolm Whump





	Protected

**Author's Note:**

> Rating: PG-13
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing of Prodigal Son, it’s characters, it’s plots, etc. I’m just here to play with them as I like. 
> 
> Disclaimer 2: I do not claim the fic is good, accurate, or IC. I hope for all three, but again, I make no official claims and therefore would suggest you adjusting your expectations. 
> 
> Author’s Note(s): Written for my Bad Thing Things Happen Bingo Prompt: Black Eye
> 
> This was thrown together at the last minute. I honestly don’t know if it’s good, great, or bad, but here it is nonetheless. I hope you enjoy it. All mistakes are my own.

Tensions between himself and Officer Adams had been building for awhile. It had begun shortly after the Berkhead case, the officer showing minimal signs of disrespect (not unlike JT) whenever Malcolm interacted with him. Knowing that he had to earn any respect he got from this group, Malcolm didn’t take it personally. To be honest, he didn’t truly care about anyone’s respect other than those in his team, but still he made the effort as he knew it would help in the long run.

When things started to escalate, Malcolm chose to ignore it, not wanting to start a fight he knew he couldn’t win. Little accidents here and there weren’t hard evidence and it seemed inconsequential to bring it up to anyone since he knew he couldn’t prove anything. So he ignored the way the officer and a small group of his friends always seemed to “accidentally” spill something hot on him, or the way they would directly avoid admitting his existence, kept his head down and did his job, making sure to interact with them as little as possible.

Malcolm sighed, sitting down in the chair nearest him and tossing the notes they’d had pinned to the white board into the box. With Dani finishing up the report for the case, and Gil having other files to work on, Malcolm had volunteered to clear the board. The case had been a fairly run of the mill one, but at least it had distracted him from his problems long enough to give him some semblance of sanity. Grabbing the box, he dropped it off at JT’s vacated desk then headed to Gil’s office. “I’m heading out. Need me to do anything before I go?”

The man he considered a father looked up from his paperwork, the glasses on his face making him look older. Most of the time, Malcolm couldn’t see how much time had passed when he looked at Gil, but there were instances where it was all too apparent, though, and they usually brought on a spike of fear. Rationally, Malcolm knew he wasn’t close to losing Gil, but emotionally, it seemed all too close for his comfort. 

“You want a lift?” Gil asked, setting his pen down.

As much as Malcolm wanted to say yes, he didn’t. Gil needed to go home at a decent hour sometime tonight. “No, I’ll just take a cab.” 

“Alright, see you tomorrow, Bright.”

It took Malcolm a minute to remember what was going on tomorrow, but when he did he smiled and nodded. Gil was insisting on hosting a dinner for the team at his place, inviting both Ainsley and Mother to join as well as the rest of them. They both knew Mother wouldn’t go, but the invitation had been given anyways because that was just the kind of man Gil Arroyo was. “Yeah, see you tomorrow,” Malcolm answered, exiting swiftly.

“Hey, you heading out?” Dani asked, apparently having eyes in the back of her head because how else could she tell Malcolm was sneaking out while her eyes were glued to the paper on her desk.

“Yeah,” Malcolm answered, stopping in his tracks and trying not to look awkward about trying to skip out without being noticed.

“Want me to walk out with you?”

Of those that he worked with, Dani had been the only one to confront him about the things that had been happening. Ever since their first meeting, Malcolm had never been able to lie to her. Granted, he hadn’t really tried, but whenever she asked after him, he couldn’t help but answer honestly. Confiding in her had been hard at first, but every time she proved he could trust her; he only hoped he showed her the same thing. So when she’d asked, he’d told her his suspicions, not surprised in the least when she took them seriously. Ever since then, she kept an eye out for him, kept her eye on him. It felt good, knowing that she had his back.

“I’m good,” he answered, not wanting to bother her. A small part of him was suspicious of the fact that he couldn’t see Adams anywhere around when he had been at his desk two minutes ago, but he tried not to let the paranoia get to him. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She nodded, but didn’t answer, simply continued to work on her report. Sighing, Malcolm left, breathing in the chilled autumn air as he exited the building. He stood where he was for a moment, letting the sounds of New York wash over him, then he stiffened as several sets of footsteps approached. A hand gripped his neck with bruising strength and pushed him towards the wall. Stars briefly clouded his vision as his head ricocheted off the stone.

A small but intimidating group circled around Malcolm, trapping him. The man that stepped forward wasn’t the biggest of the bunch, but he sure as hell wasn’t the smallest either. “What no bodyguard tonight?” Officer Emmanuel Adams taunted with a smile that was purely predatory.

Panting as adrenaline flooded his system, Malcolm did his best not to show fear. “I had assumed I didn’t need one, seeing as how we’re both rational adults.” He eyed the group around him, seeing their schoolyard bully tactics and sighing. “Seems I overestimated your maturity. Silly me.”

Adams smiled, but Malcolm could see he didn’t find the comment funny. He stepped closer, grabbing hold of Malcolm’s neck again and squeezing. “You know, you should learn to watch your mouth,” he warned, adding a punch to Malcolm’s stomach to emphasize his point. Malcolm tried to curl inwards as the air was knocked from his lungs, but the bruising grip on his neck held him still. “Not everyone has the sense of humor that I do.” Adams walked away then, instructing, “Show the freak what happens when he doesn’t respect his betters.”

The group closed in, allowing a couple men to step forward to do as their friend suggested. Malcolm had just enough time to think of how similar this scene was to high school before they were on him. Then his world became a haze of pain.

**oOo**

Dani had waited five seconds after Malcolm had left before she looked up from her report and checked on Adams and his crew. In spite of Bright saying he didn’t need her to walk out with him, she couldn’t help but worry about him. Although they might have kept it subtle, Adams and his friends were picking on the profiler, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out why. Dani and JT had kept Bright’s true identity to themselves, but in places like the precinct, walls had ears and that was enough for the gossip mills to run for days.

When Dani noticed that Adams and a small select group of his friends were missing, while the others kept watch around them from their desks, Dani got a sinking feeling in her gut. Ignoring the little bit left she had on the report, she got up and went to JT. “Can you come with me outside? There’s something I want to check on.”

“Something or someone?” JT asked, not nearly as out of the loop as Bright believed him to be.

“What do you think?” Dani asked. She nodded over to the empty desks. “Something’s up.”

JT followed her gaze. His expression never changed, but he stood up and started walking towards the doors, his longer strides forcing Dani to catch up. Although both JT and Bright had gotten off to a rocky start, Dani knew that her partner was warming up to their newest team member. He may not be at the level of friendship yet, but he sure as hell wouldn’t allow Bright to be attacked under his watch.

The first thing they heard when they exited was the sounds of the city at night. But over the traffic noise, Dani heard a grunt and she headed towards that. Behind her, she heard JT call Gil and Dani breathed a silent sigh of relief that backup in the form of their boss would be coming shortly. None of them needed this turning into a he said-he said thing.

When she found the group around the corner, Dani felt her blood boil. There was four of them with Adams hanging back and watching with a satisfied smile on his face. Bright lay on the ground, curled into a ball, with his hands protecting his head and neck while the others kicked or stomped on him. They had ganged up on Bright like the bullies they were. God she hated the boys club that was the NYPD sometimes.

“I’m surprised you’re not joining in,” she said, announcing hers and JT’s presence.

Adams barely took time to notice them, his gaze locked on the man on ground. Unlike their ringleader, the rest of the group became more wary of their arrival, and backed off just enough for Dani to see Bright look up with fear and pain on his face. “It’s more fun to watch,” Adams answered with a shrug. “Besides, it’s easier to keep my hands clean if I don’t take part.” 

“Aren’t you worried that someone’s gonna rat you out?”

At that, Adams sneered. “You think because you’re in the Lieutenant’s pocket that you scare me?”

Dani hadn’t actually meant herself, but she didn’t argue with him. If it had been up to her, she wouldn’t have bothered going to Gil, she would have taken care of that asshole while JT happily watched from the sidelines.

“No one is in my pocket Officer Adams,” Gil’s voice rang out, the anger in it palpable. They all knew that wasn’t precisely true, but they were all wise enough not to argue. As one, the group’s backs straightened, their bodies reacting to the command in their superior officer’s tone. “Who is the idiot who thought this would be a good idea?”

None of the men said a word, but they all briefly looked towards Adams before focusing on Gil. While Gil continued to ask questions, Dani went to Bright who, much to her concern, hadn’t moved since they’d showed up. “Bright,” she called as she knelt down and placed her arm on his shoulder. He flinched as she did so, but he didn’t respond. “Bright, hey, you okay?”

It took far longer than she would have liked for the profiler to lower his arms and look up at her, but when he did, he smiled, the action looking painful. “Knew you’d come for me eventually,” he said. He grimaced, a groan rumbling in his chest. “Admittedly, I thought it would have been sooner.”

“Sorry,” she said, slowly helping him to sit up. “Some of us have actual work to do.”

He hissed in pain as he unfolded and stretched, his right hand immediately going to his left side. Stamping down on the desire to beat the shit out of Adams, Dani brushed Bright’s hair off his face. She lightened her touch when she noticed bruising along the left side of his face, dropping her hand to his chin and carefully rotating it to get a better look at the other side. She saw what looked like some scrapes from the sidewalk, but that was it; evidently this group was predominantly right handed and chose to stick to Bright’s left side.

“He okay?” Gil’s voice asked from behind her.

“I’m fine,” Bright answered, the permanent expression of pain on his face lying for him. “Just help me up.”

Since he had to get up sooner or later, Dani complied, grabbing hold of his outstretched hand and gently helping him to his feet. He was shaking in her grasp, and his teeth were clenched, but he attempted to smile at them nonetheless.

“If you think that half-assed smile is gonna convince us that you’re fine, think again,” Gil said, clearly not fooled. “Powell, get him checked out. I’ll send someone over for photos.” 

“Photos?” Bright asked, his tone a mix of confusion and worry. “What do you need photos of?”

“Of what I suspect will be a spectacular array of bruises,” Gil answered, anger seeping into his voice. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he took what was clearly supposed to be a calming breath and let it out. “Go,” he instructed, looking at Dani, though the hardness in his tone suggested he should have been looking at Bright. “JT and I will take care of things here.”

Knowing there was nothing else to do but obey, Dani carefully pivoted, making sure Bright was taking her lead as she did so, and then headed to where, miraculously, a cab sat waiting at the curb. Five steps in, the profiler gently shrugged her off, his expression showing he wasn’t trying to be rude, and gingerly walked towards the cab on his own. Dani followed at a distance she judged wouldn’t be either too crowding or too far, nodding to Gil as she had passed. His expression hard yet concerned, he nodded back at her then turned and went inside.

When Bright hissed in pain as he got into the car, Dani couldn’t help but think that no matter what happened to those guys, the punishment wouldn’t be enough.

**oOo**

Three hours later found Gil still in his office, bleary-eyed and with a headache trying to pound through his skull. After making sure the officers had turned in their badges and guns, Gil had started on their suspension paperwork, followed by his own report of the incident as well as a filling out the preliminary paperwork for assault charges. He wasn’t entirely sure the kid would press charges, now that he thought about it, but it was too late now. Quietly groaning, Gil lowered his head into his hands to block out some of the light.

“You’re still here?”

Malcolm’s voice from his doorway made Gil’s head snap up. Sure enough, the kid leaned against the doorframe, hair brushing his forehead and a stiff smile on his face. With a grimace, he came further into the office, his gait limping and his posture hunched.

“Kid, what are you doing here?” Gil asked as he all but sprang out of his chair to help the profiler to a chair. He stopped when Malcolm waved him off, but only barely. “You were supposed to go home.”

“Thought I’d come and see if the offer for a ride home was still available,” the kid answered, his smile pained, his breathing uneven.

Now that Malcolm wasn’t hidden in shadows, Gil could see just how much damage had been done earlier and he winced. The bruising on his left temple traced down to combine with the black eye, giving the kid the appearance of having been in a car accident. Gil had seen the pictures that he’d had taken for evidence, of course, but seeing some of the damage in person was very different. Anger at what had been done to his kid tore through him. He’d dealt with the situation the way a lieutenant deals with men under his command, but he would have been just as happy if he’d been able to deal with it by letting Dani at them.

“So is it?” Malcolm asked and Gil blinked, wincing when a particularly intense throb went through his skull.

“Is it what?”

“The offer,” Malcolm filled in, his one good eye fully focused on Gil. “Is it still available?”

“Yeah, let me close out here and then we can go.”

“Maybe I should get a car for both of us. You look like you shouldn’t be driving any more than I should.” Damn, even with a partially swollen eye, the kid was sharp.

“I’m fine,” Gil assured, logging out of his computer then shutting it down. “It’s been a long day, that’s all.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” the kid apologized, making Gil freeze in confusion. “I was hoping Officer Adams would either get over his grudge or get bored with it. I didn’t think he’d start a fight.”

That got Gil’s attention. Turning around to lean on his desk, Gil crossed his arms over his chest. “Exactly how long had this been going on?” he asked, suspicious. When the kid avoided his question, Gil knew he had his answer. “Why didn’t you come to me?”

“I had nothing I could prove,” Malcolm answered in a placating voice, like that was supposed to make Gil feel better.

“I don’t care. Something like that happens, you come to me.”

“And what could you have done?” Malcolm challenged, his tone heated. “Huh? There was literally nothing for you to do, Gil. I wasn’t going to put you in that situation.”

Gil tried to find a point that he could argue, but he couldn’t. The kid was right. Gil’s hands would have been tied. Still, the idea that he could have done _something _gnawed at him. “I could have prevented this,” he said, waving at Malcolm in general.

“I can be under your protection for so long, Gil,” the kid answered, his expression soft, like an adult child asking the parent to let them go.

Gil couldn’t do that, wouldn’t do that, but he could give Malcolm some breathing room. He sighed. “You ready to go?”

Malcolm raised an eyebrow at him, surprise in his face. Evidently he’d expected more argument from him. Gil knew there would be plenty more arguments to come, but he also knew this was one he wouldn’t win so he dropped it. Malcolm started to push himself up from the chair, his face crumbling into an expression of pain. This time, Gil _did _help him, making sure to keep his gripped light in case he touched one of the kid’s many bruises. His concern doubled when Malcolm leaned into him, allowing him to take some of the kid’s weight. Yeah, it was definitely time to get the kid home.

“So what’s going to happen to them?” Malcolm asked as they painstakingly made their way to the Les Mans.

“I’ve put them on suspension pending an investigation without pay,” Gil answered, still feeling like it wasn’t enough. He wrapped his hand around the kid’s neck, like he usually did, then quickly withdrew it when he remembered seeing the bruises that had been left there by Adams. He waited until they were in the car, then he added, “I’ve also started the paperwork for the assault charges.”

“No,” Malcolm immediately said, his voice coming out tired but firm. “I don’t want to do that.”

“Kid,” Gil began but Malcolm cut him off. “Gil, I’m fine. It’s just some bruises, and that’s not worth the paperwork.” Gil opened his mouth to argue that, but the kid cut him off again with a quiet, “I don’t need to make the situation worse.”

Gil’s hands gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles going white. He hadn’t expected the kid to do or say anything different, but it didn’t change the fact that he thought Malcolm was wrong. Clenching his jaw so he didn’t argue, Gil kept driving, fuming the entire way. He felt helpless, powerless, and he hated it. He knew it wasn’t his job to protect Malcolm, but from their first meeting, he had made it one of his missions to keep the kid safe and loved. Right now, he was failing at the former.

Gil pulled up to the curb, deciding whether or not he should escort the kid to his front door.

“You don’t have to come up with me,” Malcolm said, apparently reading his mind. “I can take it from here.”

“Are you sure?” Gil asked, unable to hid his doubt. “You look like a strong wind could knock you down.”

“You’re one to talk,” the kid countered. “You could give a ghost a run for their money. Go home, Gil. I promise all I’m going to do is go to sleep.” Gil scoffed at that, making Malcolm smile. “Well, sleep as much as I can, at least.” There was a pause as the kid unlocked his seatbelt, then he said, “I appreciate you always looking out for me. Really. But this is one time that you can’t do anything.”

Gil had trouble agreeing with that, so he said nothing, clenching his jaw again to keep a retort from coming out. As a parent, Gil knew he was always going to feel like he could do more, be better. He also knew better than to put his issues onto the kid, so he tried to smile instead. It probably came out more like a grimace, but it was the best he could do at the moment.

“Thank you, Gil,” Malcolm said, pushing the door open with a groan. Something in his voice told Gil the kid was thanking him for more than the ride and it made him sad that the kid thought receiving love was something he had to thank Gil for. Malcolm walked around the front of the car then leaned down to look in Gil’s window. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Get some rest, kid.” Gil tapped the hand that rested on the door, waiting for the kid to pull away before he shifted the car into drive. He waited until Malcolm had entered the building before he drove away.

In spite of everything that had happened that day, in spite of his frustrations and fury, Gil was looking forward to going home and getting some sleep. He’d check in on the kid in the morning, make sure he was still up for the dinner tomorrow evening.

Before falling asleep, Gil promised himself one thing - no matter what the kid thought, Gil would protect him with everything he has. And he would damn well make sure that Adams and his cohorts wouldn’t get anywhere near Malcolm Bright ever again.

_Fin_


End file.
